The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 48
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 48 ٰ عَن ْ ابْن ِ عُمَر َ فَاِن َّ اللّٰه َ یَقُوْل ُ وَقَاتِلُوْھُم ْ حَتّٰی لَا تَكُوْن ُ فِتْنَة ٌ قَال َ ابْن ُ عُمَر َ قَد ْ فَعَلْنَا عَلی ْ عَھْد ِ رَسُوْل ِ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ اِذ ْ كَان َ الْاِسْلَام ُ قَلِیْلا ً فَكَان َ الرَّجُل ُ یُفْتَن ُ فِی ٌ دِیْنِه ٖ اِمَّا یُوْثِقُوْہ ُ حَتّٰی كَثُر َ الْاِسْلَام ُ فَلَم ْ تَكُن ْ فِتْنَة “With regards to the statement of Allāh the Exalted that you should fight those disbelievers who fight against you until there is no persecution in the land, Ibni ‘Umar ra states that, ‘In the era of the Holy Prophet sa the Muslims were few in number and anyone who accepted Islām would be given grief in the way of religion. Some would be martyred while others would be taken prisoner. Thus, the manner in which we acted upon this divine command was to fight until the Muslims gained strength in number and power and new-Muslims were saved from persecution. ’” 1 In the presence of this clear and lucid verse as well as this clear and lucid Ḥadīth , it is not at all an act of honesty to interpret a Ḥadīth , which may be constructed in different ways, to substantiate a teaching of forceful propagation. Lives of the Companions Reject the Notion of Compulsion Then, there are certain signs of faith by which an individual is recognized, and they can never be instilled in a person who has been converted to Islām by force of the sword. For example, true faith possesses love, it possesses sincerity, it possesses sacrifice and indignation. It is impossible for these qualities to be found in an individual whose faith is merely a faith of display, and who expresses a certain belief merely due to fear, while the heart of such a person remains devoid of faith. Therefore, we should study the lives of the Companions and then determine whether their state appears to be like that of such people, whose religion had been altered by the might of the sword? Does their faith not possess the fragrance of love? Do their hearts appear to be devoid of sincerity? Did they not possess the spirit of sacrifice? Does it seem as if there is a lack of indignation within them? If this is not the case -and indeed it is not -and all of these signs exist within the Companions, and not only that, but exist to an exceptional standard and every achievement 1 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābut-Tafsīr, Sūratul-Anfāl, Bābu Wa Qātilūhum Ḥattā Lā Takūna Fitnatun…. . , Ḥadīth No. 4650